Playing cards Calder

Playing cards produced by Art Of Play

Calder Playing Cards are based on a set of vivid gouache paintings from the 1970s known as the Card Player series.

One of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, Alexander Calder (1898-1976) broke traditional boundaries in art with his suspended abstract mobiles and his monumental stabiles. By taking sculpture off the pedestal he invited the viewer to experience his art directly, a concept that extends to his performative works, furniture designs, jewellery and even his paintings.

Calder Playing Cards are based on a set of vivid gouache paintings from the 1970s known as the Card Player series. Many of the cards are direct reproductions of these paintings, and the striped back is taken from them as well. All letters and numbers are in Calder’s own handwriting.

As court cards were not part of the original pictures, the faces of the jack, king and queen were taken from another series of gouaches that Calder painted around the same period.

Every detail of this deck has been carefully reproduced to celebrate the lasting legacy of Calder, the iconic master of innovation in art.

Indices in two corners